Hunger and the welfare state : food insecurity among benefit claimants in the UK

Abstract

This report looks in detail at food insecurity among benefit claimants using YouGov surveys of the general public (n=2,600) and of claimants (n=6,300), both conducted for the Welfare at a (Social) Distance project in May/June 2021. We look at two measures of food insecurity:-Any food insecurity, where the quality and variety of people's diets were affected by lack of money (e.g. people couldn't afford to eat balanced meals in the last 30 days);-Severe food insecurity, where the amount of food that people eat has been reduced by lack of money (e.g. cutting the size of/skipping meals in the last 30 days). We come to seven conclusions about benefits and food insecurity.